Centers of Excellence

Organizations that establish centers of excellence in education, clinical care, or research are committed to providing cutting edge innovations in their fields. Their endeavors are funded by national organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH), U.S. Administration on Aging (AOA) and the John A. Hartford Foundation.

The University of Pittsburgh Centers of Excellence in education are dedicated to ultimately improving quality of life for older adults.

Director: Charles F. Reynolds III, MD
A Hartford Center of Excellence, ACISR/LLMD provides a research infrastructure to promote investigations that ultimately will improve real world practice in the care of elderly living with depression and other severe mood disorders. It focuses on prevention and rehabilitation; improving care of difficult-to-treat late life mood disorders and providing assistance to families; and identifying and removing barriers to effective treatment practices in the community, especially among older primary care African Americans, in the nursing home, and in therehabilitation setting.

​Director: Oscar Lopez, MDCo-Director: William E. Klunk, MD, PhDThe ADRC performs and promotes research designed to gain an understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the mechanisms underlying the cognitive and neurobiological changes. It also develops strategies targeted at effective early diagnoses and treatments for AD and other dementias. Its research centers around the areas of genetics, neuroimaging, neuropathy, and minority outreach. A major focus is matching participating patients and family members with volunteer opportunities for AD-related studies.

Director: Steven Graham, MDThe GRECC is funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and provides an integrated program of basic biomedical, clinical, and health services research; education of trainees and practitioners; and clinical demonstration projects designed to advance knowledge regarding the care of the elderly, with an emphasis on stroke. Its research focus includes neuronal-cell death in stroke, gene therapy in cerebrovascular disease, depression in the elderly, polypharmacy in long–term care, and end-of-life care.

Director: Neil M. Resnick, MDDesignated a National Center of Excellence by the John A. Hartford Foundation, the University of Pittsburgh’s Division of Geriatric Medicine is committed to excellence in geriatric research, clinical care, and training. Its research includes the biology of aging, cancer, dementia, depression, falls, frailty, heart disease, incontinence, infections, mobility, osteoporosis, pain, pharmacotherapy, resilience, and sarcopenia.

Bennett Van Houten, PhD, Leader of the Molecular and Cell Biology ProgramAdvancing the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer through basic, translational, clinical, and population based research programs.

Director: Robert Arnold, MDThe Supportive and Palliative Care Program at UPMC was established to improve the quality of life of patients whose diseases are no longer responsive to curative treatments. Its team of health care professionals offers care for patients with serious and life-limiting illnesses, and provides comfort and support to those patients and their families.